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Glite Dictionary
🌸 Like pea flowers 🌱 A pea family plant 🦋 Like a butterfly
papilionoid

papilionoid

1 9.9
Having a shape like a butterfly, often describing flowers
  • adjective
  • /ˌpæpɪˈleɪənɔɪd/
  • Specialized
: papilionoide
  • Scientists described the new species as having distinctly papilionoid petals.

Examples

  • The orchid has a papilionoid structure that helps attract specific pollinators.

  • The papilionoid flowers attract many pollinators.

  • The papilionoid appearance of the flower makes it stand out in the garden.

  • Many papilionoid species thrive in tropical climates.

  • The orchid has a papilionoid structure that helps attract specific pollinators.

  • Scientists described the new species as having distinctly papilionoid petals.

  • The papilionoid appearance of the flower makes it stand out among other blooms.

Surface Forms

papilionoid positive

Morphology

papilionoid = papilion + oid

Built from the technical combining form 'papilion-' and '-oid'; because the combining form is not a common standalone English word and the usage is scientific, the composition is not transparent to average learners.

Etymology

Papilionoid comes from the Latin word papilio ('butterfly') and the ending -oid ('like'). It simply means 'butterfly-like', which is why scientists use it to describe petals or flower parts that look like a butterfly.